Previous reports: August 3 9 15 27 29 , September 5 12 19 .
Other Hotlines: Minnesota Statewide | Minnesota Duluth/North Shore

-RBA
*Minnesota
*Detroit Lakes
*September 27, 2002
*MNDL0209.27

-Birds mentioned

• Great Blue Heron
• Great Egret
• Black-crowned Night-Heron
• Trumpeter Swan
• Canada Goose
• Lesser Scaup
• Turkey Vulture
• Bald Eagle
• Northern Harrier
• Swainson's Hawk
• Red-tailed Hawk
• Rough-legged Hawk
• American Kestrel
• Spruce Grouse
• Ruffed Grouse
• Sharp-tailed Grouse
• Sora
• Sandhill Crane
• Common Snipe
• American Woodcock
• Black-billed Cuckoo
• Belted Kingfisher
• Red-bellied Woodpecker
• Northern Flicker
• Barn Swallow
• Gray Jay
• Blue Jay
• Black-billed Magpie
• American Crow
• Common Raven
• Ruby-crowned Kinglet
• Eastern Bluebird
• Swainson's Thrush
• American Robin
• Gray Catbird
• Cedar Waxwing
• Tennessee Warbler
• Yellow-rumped Warbler
• Palm Warbler
• Chipping Sparrow
• Savannah Sparrow
• White-throated Sparrow
• Dark-eyed Junco
• Red-winged Blackbird
• Rusty Blackbird
• Purple Finch
• American Goldfinch

Hotline: Minnesota, Detroit Lakes
Date: September 27, 2002
Sponsor: Lakes Area Birding Club, Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce
Reports: 1-800-542-3992 (weekdays during business hours)
Compiler: Jeanie Joppru (ajjoppru@wiktel.com)
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This is the Northwest Minnesota Birding Report for Friday, September 27,2002 sponsored by the Detroit Lakes Regional Chamber of Commerce. You may also hear this report by calling (218) 847-5743 or 1-800-433-1888.

Cooler weather has come to the northwest this week, but migrants continue to be reported. Leaves are beginning to show a little color, and the first frost was last night in most of the area. Mosquitoes are becoming fewer and less annoying. Migrants that are here in numbers are AMERICAN ROBINS, NORTHERN FLICKERS, and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS. .

Gretchen Mehmel reported seeing a SPRUCE GROUSE late last week in Lake of the Woods County about 5 miles SE of Norris Camp. Also two GRAY JAYS were seen. Zeann Linder and I saw a TURKEY VULTURE in Lake of the Woods County near its border with Roseau County along the Winner road. Other Lake of the Woods County birds included BALD EAGLE, BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, CEDAR WAXWING, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, and SAVANNAH SPARROW.

A ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK was found in Roseau County, and many AMERICAN KESTRELS were migrating through the county on Sunday, September 22.

In Beltrami County, the most interesting bird reported this week was a RUSTY BLACKBIRD along Dick's Parkway. Other birds seen in the county were many BELTED KINGFISHERS and YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS.

>From Old Mill State Park in Marshall County, Mary Broten reported the season's first DARK-EYED JUNCOS, and a SHARP-TAILED GROUSE between the office and the picnic area. Other birds at the park included PURPLE FINCH, and NORTHERN FLICKERS. A BLACK-BILLED CUCKOO was spotted on the 22nd along County Road 54 just south of the Marshall County line in the northeast part of the county, and a BLACK-CROWNED NIGHT-HERON looked pretty silly standing in the middle of a plowed field with no water in sight anywhere. Also reported in the county was a BALD EAGLE seen along County Road 54. Waterfowl numbers are slowly building at Agassiz National Wildlife Refuge and the cooler weather in recent days will surely bring down more ducks and geese.

Pennington County birds this week included a BALD EAGLE, SANDHILL CRANES and a RED-BELLIED WOODPECKER on the 21st and a COMMON RAVEN, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, AMERICAN KESTREL, and NORTHERN HARRIER on the 22nd.

An interesting assortment of birds was seen in one group in Red Lake County on the 21st. They included: 1 BALD EAGLE, 1 ROUGH-LEGGED HAWK, 1 RED-TAILED HAWK, several COMMON RAVENS, and about six BLACK-BILLED MAGPIES. All were along the road and most remained in the immediate area after the car passed. It is interesting to speculate just what attracted this diverse group. Other birds seen in the county on the 21st were: 16 EASTERN BLUEBIRDS, 400-500 RED-WINGED BLACKBIRDS, a few BARN SWALLOWS, and many YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLERS.

Donna and Leon Thoreson birded in Polk County and they report seeing an AMERICAN WOODCOCK in a farm field west of Eldred,and a GRAY CATBIRD near Shelly. In their yard near Climax were GREAT EGRET, GREAT BLUE HERON, BLUE JAYS , BLACK-BILLED MAGPIE, RUBY-CROWNED KINGLET, SWAINSON'S THRUSH, TENNESSEE WARBLER, PALM WARBLER, YELLOW-RUMPED WARBLER, CHIPPING SPARROW, WHITE-THROATED SPARROW, DARK-EYED JUNCO, PURPLE FINCH, and AMERICAN GOLDFINCH. A flock of 50 AMERICAN CROWS were seen along Highway 220.

Also in Polk County, Rick Julian reported from Rydell National Wildlife Refuge that there has been a large movement of CANADA GEESE onto the refuge. Other birds of note there were TRUMPETER SWANS, a pair of SWAINSON'S HAWKS, RUFFED GROUSE, SORA, COMMON SNIPE, and AMERICAN WOODCOCK. A good assortment of ducks included over 800 LESSER SCAUP on a wetland southeast of the refuge.

Thanks to Gretchen Mehmel, Mary Broten, Rick Julian, and the Thoreson's for their reports.

Please report bird sightings to Jeanie Joppru by e-mail, no later than Thursday each week, at: ajjoppru@wiktel.com OR call the Detroit Lakes Chamber's toll free number: 1-800-542-3992. Detroit Lakes area birders please call 847-9202. When reporting by e-mail please put "NW Bird Report" in the subject line of your message. The next scheduled update of this report is Friday, October 4, 2002.

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